1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packing tape sticking apparatus for a sealing machine for a box body such as corrugated fibreboard container and a box construction machine and for jointing butt portions of two pieces of corrugated fibreboard containers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 14, a sealing machine is conventionally well-known, wherein products are packed in a constructed box body such as a corrugated fibreboard container C before inner flaps F1 respectively connected to upper ends of front and back faces thereof and outside flaps F2 respectively connected to upper ends of right and left sides thereof are folded down in turn and butt portions of F2 are sealed by a packing tape T such as an OPP tape and a craft tape. (See Japanese TOKKYO KOKOKU No. S58-13411.)
First, a sealing machine 1 is described according to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. The sealing machine 1 comprises a base 2, a carrier device 3 which is arranged at the base 2 so as to carry a corrugated fibreboard container C backward, and a sticking apparatus 4 which seals butt portions of outside flaps of the corrugated fibreboard container C fed by the carrier device 3 by means of a packing tape T.
The base 2 includes support legs 21 which can move freely up and down and a planer-type frame 22 at the approximate center thereof, the support legs 21 are provided with rotatable casters 23. The planer-type frame 22 is provided with a guide 24 which is protruded forward to move freely up and down so as to keep the outside flaps F2 of the corrugated fibreboard container C folded into an inside thereof.
As a result, this enables the sealing machine 1 to move to a position neighboring to the conveyer device of the corrugated fibreboard container C packed with products and it also enables a carrying face of roller conveyers 31 of the carrier device 3 mentioned later to be adjusted in upward and downward directions so as to fit in a carrying face of the conveyer device of the corrugated fibreboard container C. Moreover, it enables the guide 24 to be adjusted in upward and downward directions according to a height of the corrugated fibreboard container C to be carried.
Furthermore, the carrier device 3 comprises a number of roller conveyers 31 which are rotatably arranged at the base 2 so as to carry the corrugated fibreboard container C to forward and backward directions of the base 2 (a carrying direction of the corrugated fibreboard container, or right and left directions in FIG. 15), and a pair of belt-conveyers without ends 32 which are arranged at both sides of right and left directions of the base 2 (a perpendicular direction to FIG. 15), one belt conveyer 32 can move forward and backward to the other belt-conveyer 32 according to a width of the corrugated fibreboard container C, which is not shown in details.
Therefore, the corrugated fibreboard container C led to the base 2 can be held between both sides by a pair of belt-conveyers 32 to be carried backward by means of being incorporated with roller conveyers 31.
On the other hand, as shown in details in FIG. 16, the sticking apparatus 4, in the same way as the aforementioned guide 24, comprises a pair of side plates 41 which are arranged at the planer-type frame 22 so as to move freely upward and downward and connected to each other with each space in right and left directions through a stay (not shown), a support arm 42 which is fixed in the side plate 41 so as to support a packing tape roll R rotatably, a tape sticking plate 43 which is located in an upper side of the side plate 41 to be rotatably supported, a cutter 44 for cutting a packing tape T, and a pressing roller 45 which is located in a lower side of the side plate 41 to be rotatably supported and presses the packing tape T which seals the butt portions of the outside flaps F2 of the corrugated fibreboard container C.
The support arm 42 comprises an arm body 421 fixed in the side plate 41 and a core 422 which is rotatably supported at an edge of the arm body 421 and can fit a winding core of the packing tape roll R and a roller 423 which is rotatably supported at a lower part of the arm body 421. The packing tape T of the packing tape roll R is drawn toward a tape sticking plate 43 mentioned later through the roller 423.
The tape sticking plate 43 comprises a sticking plate body 431 which is rotatably supported at surroundings of a pin 43a arranged at the side plate 41, a guide roller 432 which is rotatably supported at the sticking plate body 431 so as to guide the packing tape T, and a claw 433 for holding tape arranged at the sticking plate body 431, wherein the packing tape T drawn out from the packing tape roll R passes through a space which is formed by the sticking plate body 431 and the claw for holding tape 433 via the guide roller 432 before an adhesive surface thereof is faced upstream to be guided in a suspended state by passing over a lower edge of the sticking plate body 431.
The cutter 44 comprises a cutter cam 441 in a state of plate which is rotatably supported at surroundings of a pin 44a arranged at a side plate 41, a cutter blade 442 fixed in the cutter cam 441, a spring 443 as an elastic member for pulling the cutter cam 441 to a direction in which the cutter blade 442 always cuts the packing tape T, and a stopper 444 for limiting a rotation of the cutter cam 441, wherein, in entering the corrugated fibreboard container C, a front face thereof is met with the cutter cam 441, thereby pushing up the cutter cam 441 against the pulling force of the spring 443, and when a back edge of the corrugated fibreboard container C passes through, the pulling force of the spring 443 makes it return to the position of the cutter to meet with the stopper 444.
The cutter cam 441 is formed in a state of plate so as not to interfere with the aforementioned sticking plate body 431 and the packing tape T.
Moreover, the pressing roller 45 comprises a roller plate 451 which is rotatably supported at surroundings of a pin 45a arranged at the side plate 41, a roller 452 which is rotatably supported at an edge of the roller plate 451, and a spring 453 as an elastic member for pulling the roller 452 to a direction for contacting a surface of the corrugated fibreboard container C, wherein, in entering the corrugated fibreboard container C, the packing tape T which seals the butt portions of the outside flaps F2 of the corrugated fibreboard container C through the aforementioned tape sticking plate 43 is pressed by the roller 452 which is rotating owing to the pulling force of the spring 453.
Furthermore, between an upper portion of the pressing roller 45 and an approximate center portion of the tape sticking plate 43, a connection rod 46 is laid so as to work with each other. In other words, when the corrugated fibreboard container comes in, the front face thereof is met with the sticking plate body 431 of the tape sticking plate 43 to make the sticking plate body 431 rotate downstream with the result that the connection rod 46 pushes the pressing roller 45 out to make the pressing roller 45 rotate upstream against the pulling force of spring 453.
In order to limit rotations of the pressing roller 45 and the tape sticking plate 43 pulled by the spring 453, a stopper which is not shown is arranged at the side plate 41.
Next, an operation of the sealing machine 1 formed as mentioned above is described. First, the guide 24 and the sticking apparatus 4 is moved upward and downward according to a height of the corrugated fibreboard container C and a space between a pair of belt-conveyers 32 is adjusted so as to fit in a space between right side and left side of the corrugated fibreboard container C approximately. After that, the corrugated fibreboard container C packed with products is entered, the corrugated fibreboard container C is carried downstream through roller conveyers 31 and belt-conveyers 32 which the carrier device 3 comprises. At that time, the outside flaps F2 of the corrugated fibreboard container C are pushed by the guide 24, thereby being kept to be folded. Then, the corrugated fibreboard container C is carried and the front face thereof is met with the sticking plate body 431 of the tape sticking plate 43 with the result that the packing tape T whose adhesive surface is hung to be faced upstream along the sticking plate body 431 is stuck, at the same time when the sticking plate body 431 is rotated downstream, thereby pushing it up. The rotation of the tape sticking plate 43 makes the pressing roller 45 rotate upstream through the connection rod 46 at the same time when the edge thereof reaches a portion close to an edge of the cutter blade 442 to prevent the packing tape T from touching the cutter blade 442.
When the corrugate fibreboard container C is carried downstream, the packing tape roll R rotates to draw the packing tape T and on the other hand, the front face of the corrugate fibreboard container C is met with the cutter cam 441 of the cutter 44, thereby making the cutter cam 441 rotate downstream against the pulling force of the spring 443 to push it up with the result that the cutter blade 442 is escaped upward so as to prevent the cutter blade 442 from touching the packing tape T. On the other hand, owing to the rotation of the tape sticking plate 43, the pressing roller 45 is pushed upstream against the pulling force of the spring 453 through the connection rod 46 and the roller 452 presses the packing tape T which is stuck to the butt portions of the outside flaps F2 of the corrugated fibreboard container C by the pulling force of the spring 453 to stick the packing tape T while rotating in pursuit of the carriage of the corrugated fibreboard container C.
As mentioned above, the butt portions of the outside flaps F2 of the corrugated fibreboard container C is stuck by the packing tape T in pursuit of the carriage of the corrugated fibreboard container C. In this case, even though a back end of the corrugated fibreboard container C passes through the tape sticking plate 43, the pressing roller 45 contacts an upper surface of the corrugated fibreboard container C with the result that the tape sticking plate 43 is in a position to be kept pushing up downstream. Furthermore, when the corrugated fibreboard container C is carried before the back end thereof is removed from the edge of the cutter cam 441, the cutter cam 441 is rotated upstream by the pulling force of the spring 443, whereby the cutter blade 442 cuts the packing tape T. Under a condition that the packing tape T is cut, the corrugated fibreboard container C is still carried with the result that the back end thereof is removed from the roller 452, the roller 452 is rotated backward by the pulling force of spring 453 to press the end portion of the packing tape T to a back face of the corrugated fibreboard container C to be stuck. On the other hand, the rotation of the pressing roller 45 makes the tape sticking plate 43 be pushed through the connection rod 46, whereby the cut packing tape T is hung while the edge thereof goes over the lower end of the sticking plate body 431, so as to be prepared for the carriage of the next corrugated fibreboard container C.
In such a sealing machine 1, the cutter cam 441 and the cutter blade 442 of the cutter 44 are always protruded over lower ends of the side plates 41 at the position of cutting the packing tape T by means of the pulling force of the spring 443, whereby, in case that it is required to insert a hand in the inside thereof in exchanging the packing tape rolls R, inspecting operation for safety and the like, an operator must put on safety gloves which are thick, leathern or threaded with metal meshes to perform an operation, thereby making it difficult for him to perform a delicate operation.
Therefore, in the above mentioned sealing machine 1, a cover (not shown) which covers the cutter blade 442 protruded over the lower ends of the side plates 41 is still rotatably supported, thereby pulling it to a position of covering the cutter blade 442 through the spring whose cover is usually not shown, and when the corrugated fibreboard container C is entered, first, the cover is pushed up against the pulling force of the spring before the cutter cam 441 is pushed up.
However, even if the cutter blade 442 is covered with a cover, it is not changed that the cutter blade 442 is protruded to the cutting position over the lower ends of the side plates 41. Then, taking a case in which the cover is pushed up owing to some reason into consideration, it is required for an operator to wear the safety gloves.